We should envy America its inspirational president

The long political battle over healthcare in the US has often looked peculiar to outside observers. The idea that the state should look after people with medical needs, uncontroversial in Europe, was denounced by some American conservatives as a stepping stone to communism.

President Obama's health plan, signed into law last week, protects millions by reforming the insurance system. New regulations will enforce minimum standards and stop insurers capriciously withdrawing cover.

That might sound more like consumer protection than revolution, but in the context of US politics it is a famous victory. Only a few months ago, obituaries were being drafted for Mr Obama's presidency, with failed health reform the killer blow. The scripts are now in the bin. The healthcare success, a deal with Russia on nuclear disarmament and renewed efforts for Middle East peace are being woven into a comeback narrative.

There will be more setbacks. But Mr Obama's achievement on healthcare has not just rebutted critics, it has slain doubts. His election campaign promised the triumph of imagination and optimism over weary resignation. His slogan "Yes we can!" was meant to answer an implicit question over the ability of politics ever to be a vehicle for meaningful change.

Mr Obama revisited that theme in a brilliant speech on the eve of the healthcare vote. He asked veteran parliamentarians to recall what inspired them to get involved in politics in the first place. He invited them to fan the embers of their idealism back into flames of conviction. He used the power of pure oratory to change the boundaries of what his audience considered possible in politics. It is hard to imagine any of the current generation of British politicians mobilising anyone that way.

We may have watched much of the US debate on healthcare with bafflement. But we can also witness with envy the manner in which the argument was won by the president and feel inspired.